


How Could I Have Been So Lucky?

by funnygirlthatbelle13



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Vomiting, Wedding, widojest hiatus prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:00:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funnygirlthatbelle13/pseuds/funnygirlthatbelle13
Summary: For the Widojest Hiatus Prompt dancing: Caleb and Jester’s wedding is fast approaching, and no one is exactly sure how the parent dance will go. How it goes is sweeter than anyone expected.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre & Marion Lavorre | Ruby of the Sea, Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast, Marion Lavorre | Ruby of the Sea & Caleb Widogast, Marion Lavorre/ Bluud
Comments: 26
Kudos: 110





	How Could I Have Been So Lucky?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this is my contribution to the prompts this week. It’s not necessarily traditional, but I hope you still enjoy it!

The wedding between Jester Lavorre and Caleb Widogast had, somehow, become an extremely high profile affair. In some ways, it made sense. Even if they hadn’t saved the world on multiple occasions as members of the Mighty Nein (which they had), it was still the wedding of the daughter of the Ruby of the Sea. So, needless to say, what the couple had hoped to keep a relatively small affair had quickly blown out of proportion. Teleporting to Nicodranas was a near weekly event, as there always seemed to be some flowers to approve or napkins to select or some other inane detail neither of them had ever imagined having to consider. 

Still, the big day was fast approaching, and many of the decisions had been made. The ceremony itself would take place at the beach, with Artagan and Caduceus splitting the duties of officiating. Beau would be the best monk, and Yasha the maid of honor. Frumpkin would bring up the rings, and Fjord and Veth were going to split the traditional flower girl duties. The reception would be at the Lavish Chateau, and the dessert bar was going to be insane, with the centerpiece being a lemon and blueberry cake. The color scheme mostly consisted of pinks, purples, blues, and ambers, with lots of white lace accents. 

And yet, even with all that planning, there were certain things that Jester had no idea how they were going to go down. As the two of them met with Marion to discuss the music one evening, Jester felt a pang in her stomach. 

“Momma?” she asked after they decided that, yes, they needed the band to be able to play Zemnian music, “Isn’t there a tradition about dancing with the parents or something?” 

“Well, yes, it is traditional for the bride and her father to dance, as well as the groom and his mother, but given the circumstances…” Marion trailed off, a sad expression on her face for just a moment before she smiled once more. 

Jester glanced over at Caleb, who was smiling at her. 

“Do you want to do that?” he asked, “You could dance with your father, let him give you away… or the Traveler, if that feels more appropriate.”

Babenon had yet to RSVP, and Jester was starting to worry that he might not respond at all. But even more than that, she was surprised and a little concerned that her fiancé (she never got used to calling him that) was okay with a reminder of his parents’ death being front and center at their wedding. 

“Cay-leb, we don’t have to-“ she began, but he kissed her on her forehead, the five o’clock shadow tickling against her skin. 

“If it will make you happy,” he said in that warm, tender voice that made her heart melt, “Then we should do it, ja? You only get married once, hopefully.” 

She smiled at him. How could she not? 

“Okay. But if you change your mind, we totally don’t have to.” 

“Okay.”

They continued on discussing the music, but Jester still couldn’t help but wonder what had possessed Caleb into being okay with all of this. 

****

The day of the wedding had arrived, and Marion could hardly believe that it was arriving at all. It still seemed only a year or two ago that her Jester had been drawing on the walls of the Chateau, and only months since she had brought her strange group of friends home for the first time. But it had been much longer than that, and her baby girl was getting married. 

As she made her way to the room where Jester was getting ready, she marveled at how many people were staying at the Chateau. They were never lacking in guests, but today, it seemed as though occupants were crawling out of every nook and cranny of the building. 

When she reached the suite where Jester and her bridesbuddies, as they were being referred to as, were getting ready, she was surprised to see Bluud guarding the door. 

“Has there been word of anything going on?” she asked. This was a high profile wedding, and though she couldn’t think of anyone in particular who’d seek to ruin it, it was entirely possible. 

“Bride and groom aren’t allowed to see each other; bad luck,” Bluud responded, deadly serious. 

Marion was tempted to point out that an extremely powerful pair of adventurers could quite easily overpower the old minotaur, but instead, she simply smiled and pressed a kiss onto his muzzle. 

“You are so good to us,” she whispered. 

Bluud smiled, and Marion was confident that if he could, he’d be blushing. Marion knocked one the door.

“Jester?” she called, “Can I come in, please?” 

There was a moment where she could hear scuffling behind the door before Yasha opened the door, looking particularly strange in a bright pink bathrobe. 

“How are things going in here?” she asked, though she didn’t exactly need the verbal confirmation to see the chaos currently ensuing, though how much of that was regular wedding chaos versus Jester’s own chaos was hard to tell. 

“Momma!” Jester turned around in her chair, and even with her hair still not dry and in a bathrobe, she looked radiant. 

“Oh, my Jester,” she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes, “My little sapphire, you look beautiful.” 

Jester got up and ran into her arms, and Marion smelled a whiff of jasmine and vanilla on her. 

“I have something for you,” she whispered into her daughter’s hair. 

“Really?” Jester pulled away, an eager expression on her face.

From inside her pocket, she pulled out a heart shaped locket with a piece of amber in the center. 

“Your grandmother wore this at her wedding,” she explained, “And now-“

“Oh, momma, it’s beautiful,” Jester whispered, her eyes wide, taking it in, “Thank you.”

Marion stayed and helped Jester get ready for a bit, but eventually, she made her way to Caleb’s suite. The door was opened for her by their drow friend, Essek.

“You might not want to come in here right now,” he said mildly, “Things are-“

He was interrupted by the sound of loud retching. Marion glanced at Essek, who gave her a silent confirmation that it was indeed the groom. 

“Let me have a word with him.”

Essek nodded, and soon she was led into the suite’s bathroom, where a half-dressed Beau was holding back Caleb’s hair as he vomited into a basin. 

Marion smiled in sadness and amusement as Caleb came up to look at her. 

“Of course you ended up with all of the nerves,” she whispered fondly. 

“I’m gonna go grab something gentle for your stomach, kay, Caleb?” Beau asked. 

Caleb nodded, and the monk left, leaving them alone, sitting on the bathroom floor. 

It was strange how not strange this was, Marion thought. She remembered meeting her daughter’s friends for the first time, remembered the wizard holding tight to his illusion of formal wear as though it would be able to hide all the things he despised about himself. She remembered suggesting that perhaps the fish out of water had found a home in Nicodranas, though she never could have imagined how true that would become. For somewhere along the way, she had found a kindred spirit in Caleb Widogast. Even before he and Jester had gotten together, the two of them had developed the habit of sharing a bottle of wine and a conversation while sitting out on a balcony overlooking the city. 

So when Caleb gave her an awkward half-smile, she recognized his attempt to ease her worries immediately. 

“How is she doing?” he asked. 

“I’ve never seen her so excited,” she said, delicately brushing an orange lock behind his ear.

“And she looks stunning, ja?” he mumbled, not looking her in the eye. 

“Yes, she looks beautiful,” she paused and watched him frown, “And her groom will look very handsome once we get him dressed.” 

Caleb looked at her, and Marion saw all the love and fear mixed up in his heart as those blue eyes shone directly into her soul. 

“I have something for you,” she said as casually as she could. 

Caleb opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off.

“We’re family now, or we will be in a couple of hours. Let me do this, okay?”

Caleb nodded, and she produced two amber cufflinks from her pocket. He stared at them, studying them.

“They were Jester’s grandfather’s,” she explained,blinking furiously as she remembered her father’s warm smile, “He would have wanted you to have them.” 

Caleb took the cufflinks with trembling hands and chuckled. 

“My mother had an amber necklace,” he said, “I was… enamoured by it. It’s strange,” he added with a smile, “We purchase and destroy diamonds as if they are nothing, but this is still precious.” 

He took her hand and squeezed it tight. She could feel how he was still trembling, but at least he was less green than before. 

“Thank you,” he whispered. 

“Of course,” she responded instantly, “Now how about we get you cleaned up so you’re ready to marry my daughter?”

****

Caleb had managed to get through the entire wedding ceremony without crying, puking, or having a panic attack, which was much to his relief. And now that they were at the Lavish Chateau eating, things almost had a semblance of normalcy. 

Almost. He still had to watch the Dusk Captain and Shakaste talk, Allura being introduced to Keg, and Orly sitting with the Clay’s. That was all very, very strange

But none of that mattered at all when he had Jester, his wife, sitting by his side. He thought she was beautiful no matter what, in a fancy dress or covered in demon blood or anything in between, but today she looked like a goddess. All throughout dinner, he had to fight to keep himself from staring at her and forgetting to eat. 

Eventually, their plates were taken away as the band began to play. 

A familiar red-haired figure in handsome green clothes appeared behind their table.

“Shall we?” Artagan asked, offering Jester his hand. Grinning, she took it and made her way to the dance floor. 

With a slightly smaller smile, Caleb got up and made his way to where Marion sat, looking as beautiful as ever in a modest blue dress.

“May I have the honor to dance with you?” he asked, watching as she stared at him in astonishment.

“Caleb, but-“ 

“We are family now, ja?” he said.

She smiled and rose, taking his hand and following him onto the dance floor. Jester and Artagan had already fallen into a rhythm, swaying in time with the band. The sparkles of her gown looked even brighter in contrast with his emerald green. 

Caleb placed a hand on Marion's waist and began leading her in a simple step. 

“You are very lucky, you know,” she said as they fell into a comfortable rhythm. 

“Ja, for many reasons,” he said with a grin, “Which, uh, which one were you thinking of?” 

Marion chuckled. 

“Well, I was going to say that most men have to pay in platinum for a chance like this, but you’re right, getting to marry my Jester is much better.” 

“So how lucky I am to have done both,” he said, pouring every last ounce of sincerity into it. Aside from the other members of the Mighty Nein, there was no one alive he cared for more than Marion Lavorre. His mother-in-law. 

How had he gotten so lucky? 

Caleb continued to marvel at his magnificent luck as he led the Ruby of the Sea around the dance floor. There was no doubt in his mind that Marion was an accomplished dancer, far better than he was. And so he spun her, noticing how she glanced over at Jester as she spun. He looked over and saw that, while he wasn’t looking, Artagan had been replaced by Bluud, who was laughing at something Jester had said. 

He turned back to Marion, a joke about Jester looking for one father and ending up with three on his lips, when he realized that she was still over there. Puzzle pieces rapidly locked into place in his mind, and the conclusion was too sweet even for him. 

“He is a good man,” he commented, doing his best to sound nonchalant. 

“Very,” she agreed, and Caleb recognized a hint of sadness in her voice. 

Well, that wouldn’t do.

“You should ask him to dance,” he suggested, “Later, of course.” 

Marion frowned.

“Oh no, it’s too late for that.”

Caleb frowned. He recognized the doubt and sadness on her face. How could he not? 

“You know, I told Yasha something very similar once,” he said, his voice as quiet as he could make it without the band drowning him out, “I told her that it was hopeless- that I was hopeless. That it didn’t matter that I was in love, because she would never want someone like me.” 

He paused, purposefully glancing around the Chateau in all its glory before letting his eyes land on Jester, who was laughing as the minotaur spun her around.

“Turns out, I was a bit of a dummkopf,” he chuckled. 

Marion’s frown lessened, though it did not go away, so Caleb spun her once again. 

“Oh, you sweet boy,” she said with a laugh.

The music ended, and the guests burst into applause. 

“Just… think about it?” he asked sincerely, brushing back a lock of hair that had fallen out of place during that last spin.

“Alright,” she said with a smile, “I’ll think about it.” 

The band began their next song, an old, familiar waltz, and Marion and Bluud left the dance floor. Caleb was only vaguely aware of this, as he was staring at his wife. 

Jester, his wife. 

Beaming, they all but ran to the center of the floor, waiting only the briefest of moments before beginning their waltz. 

“What were you and momma talking about?” Jester asked. 

“How lucky I am,” he said with a smile. How could he not when holding her? “And how if I can be happy, she should- well, she should go for it.”

Jester glanced over at her momma, her veil hitting him in the face as they turned to look at Marion. She and Bluud were sitting together, leaning close in to each other.

“You finally got her to do it?” Jester whispered excitedly, “Caleb, I’ve been trying to get her to admit she likes him for years!” 

He spun her, releasing a joyful giggle as she came closer.

“Well, I know what it’s like to be so hopelessly in love.”

Jester pressed herself closer into his chest, and Caleb practically melted into her. How had he gotten so lucky? 

“I love you so much,” she whispered.

“I love you, too,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head, “I am so glad I have a family again.” 

The music swelled, and Caleb lifted her into the air, kissing her as she was up in the air, her skirts billowing around the both of them.

Caleb grinned as they continued to dance. He had imagined his own wedding, once upon a time, a simple celebration in the town square of Blumenthal like he’d attended so many times in his childhood. It had been pragmatic, realistic, something he looked forward to but was never counting down the days to. But this? This was a fairytale, and he had somehow stepped into the role of the prince. 

Jester giggled as she spun around once more. 

Yes, he was the prince, and she was the princess who had opened his heart and given him a family again.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, there it is! I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please let me know!


End file.
